PROJECT DESCRIPTION

(updated September 2023)

"Nexum" investigates photographic technologies' capacity to augment our perceptual experience of landscapes. This study will probe into the potential of various photographic instruments and tools in creating innovative experiences that foster a deeper connection with the geographical locale for the viewer. By amalgamating traditional photography techniques with interactive media and other avant-garde technologies, the objective is to explore methodologies for constructing immersive visual narratives. I aim to vivify narratives derived from these landscapes, augmenting our understanding and engagement with them. This research contributes to the burgeoning field of digital storytelling within the landscape photography realm.

RATIONALE:

In the contemporary era of digital media, when geographical sites are frequently over-documented and widely disseminated online, it becomes imperative to explore the role of technological advancements in enhancing our comprehension of touristic landscape destinations. The significance of this research is accentuated by the propensity of landscape/travel photographers to gravitate towards identical locations, engendering a homogeneity in the imagery produced.

This study aims to illuminate the transformative potential of integrating photography and technology in redefining the scope of landscape photography. It seeks to demonstrate how this fusion can empower photographers to imprint their unique personal narratives onto their captured landscapes. Nexum strives to construct immersive visual narratives that animate the stories inherent in these locations by strategically amalgamation traditional photographic techniques with interactive media and emergent technologies.

The project explores the capabilities of photographic equipment and tools in creating innovative experiences that foster an unparalleled sense of connection to a place. It will contemplate the juxtaposition of analogue technology against AI technology, enabling the intrinsic expressiveness of photographic techniques to manifest themselves in AI technologies.

Incorporating concepts from Aboriginal and First Nations theories and beliefs about land connection, the study will explore how photographers can cultivate a deeper bond with the landscape. It will examine the necessity for photographers to immerse themselves in the landscape over time to authentically narrate their journey and the story of the land itself.

 Through this investigation, the study aims to provide invaluable insights into the potential of technology as a tool for forging profound human connections with our environment.

THE RESEARCH QUESTION:

How can photographic technologies be utilised to enhance and provide new perspectives on the Australian landscape?

      I.         How can landscape photography be used as a form of activism to bring awareness to issues relating to the Australian environment?

     II.         How can photographic techniques be employed to challenge existing perceptions of over-visited tourist locations in the Australian landscape?

    III.         How can photographic techniques be employed to draw attention to the destruction of natural and picturesque tourist sites in the Australian landscape?

   IV.         How do advancements in technology influence landscape photography within the Australian context?